In Dubai, a Race for 'Iron Men' Wearing Jet Suits
2024-03-01
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1The pilots started their jet engines on a runway in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai on Wednesday.
2But they were not preparing to fly an aircraft.
3They themselves would fly - in the first-ever "jet suit race."
4The seven pilots with jet engines on their backs raced along the tall buildings of Dubai like a scene from the movie Iron Man.
5"The closest analogy would be that dream of flying... and then going wherever your mind is taking you," said Richard Browning.
6He is the founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, the company that held the race with Dubai.
7Browning added that the movie created the scene using computer technology, but his company did it "for real."
8The pilots wore 1,500-horsepower jet suits for the race.
9Those engines have more mechanical power than most sports cars and use the same fuel as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 passenger jets.
10Then came what pilot Issa Kalfon called "the moment of truth."
11The engines roared and pilots jumped and leaned forward.
12And they took off like a helicopter.
13Organizers said they took off from the runway next to the water to enable higher speeds.
14The jet suit currently can reach speeds of 128 kilometers an hour, Gravity Industries said.
15It is also safer for the pilots to fly short distances above water.
16Kalfon, who won the race, said he was nervous before his flight.
17"Everything's hot, it's running, the engines are screaming at you," Kalfon said.
18But he said the jet suit was safe and easy to handle.
19There was one crash during Wednesday's race.
20Emirati pilot Ahmed al-Shehhi smashed into the water, going feet first but immediately came to the surface to give a thumbs-up to rescuers. An announcer described him as having just 12 days of training before the race.
21"It's pretty amazing to see that they can do this in Dubai, and they have these guys flying over the water," said Jennifer Ross, an American who lives in Dubai.
22"It's kind of like astronauts flying around in space."
23With its beaches, bars and buildings, Dubai has long been a city known for its love of aviation.
24The city is home to the world's busiest airport for international travel.
25It also has been developing the idea of flying taxis for several years.
26There are risks to jet suit travel, however.
27In 2020, Vincent Reffet died in a crash during training for a different flying project.
28He was famous for once flying alongside a two-level Emirates A380 jet.
29I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1The pilots started their jet engines on a runway in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai on Wednesday. But they were not preparing to fly an aircraft. They themselves would fly - in the first-ever "jet suit race." 2The seven pilots with jet engines on their backs raced along the tall buildings of Dubai like a scene from the movie Iron Man. 3"The closest analogy would be that dream of flying... and then going wherever your mind is taking you," said Richard Browning. He is the founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, the company that held the race with Dubai. 4Browning added that the movie created the scene using computer technology, but his company did it "for real." 5The pilots wore 1,500-horsepower jet suits for the race. Those engines have more mechanical power than most sports cars and use the same fuel as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 passenger jets. 6Then came what pilot Issa Kalfon called "the moment of truth." The engines roared and pilots jumped and leaned forward. And they took off like a helicopter. 7Organizers said they took off from the runway next to the water to enable higher speeds. The jet suit currently can reach speeds of 128 kilometers an hour, Gravity Industries said. It is also safer for the pilots to fly short distances above water. 8Kalfon, who won the race, said he was nervous before his flight. "Everything's hot, it's running, the engines are screaming at you," Kalfon said. But he said the jet suit was safe and easy to handle. 9There was one crash during Wednesday's race. 10Emirati pilot Ahmed al-Shehhi smashed into the water, going feet first but immediately came to the surface to give a thumbs-up to rescuers. An announcer described him as having just 12 days of training before the race. 11"It's pretty amazing to see that they can do this in Dubai, and they have these guys flying over the water," said Jennifer Ross, an American who lives in Dubai. "It's kind of like astronauts flying around in space." 12With its beaches, bars and buildings, Dubai has long been a city known for its love of aviation. The city is home to the world's busiest airport for international travel. It also has been developing the idea of flying taxis for several years. 13There are risks to jet suit travel, however. 14In 2020, Vincent Reffet died in a crash during training for a different flying project. He was famous for once flying alongside a two-level Emirates A380 jet. 15I'm Dorothy Gundy. 16Jon Gambrell reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17_________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19scene -n. a part of a movie or play 20analogy -n. a comparison between two things that share some quality that is meaningful 21horsepower -n. a traditional measure of mechanical power that is used in the United States and Britain 22roar -v. to make a load noise similar to the sound a lion or tiger makes 23lean -v. to position oneself at an angle rather than straight up and down 24handle -v. to control, drive or manage the direction of something 25thumbs-up -n. a sign given by people to show they are safe or in good condition which involves raising the thump of the hand upward 26We want to hear from you. 27Our comment policy is here.